Help Me
by MRS SASSER
Summary: He couldn't say, "Granger, even though you hate me and I hate you, I would like you to come back to my nightmares with me, just to give me something to live for." - DMHG
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- **I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters used by JK Rowling. I take no credit :)

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No Father, stop!" the boy pleaded the man.

_"Is this a sign of weakness, Son? Men don't show weakness. CRUCIO!" shouted the figure._

_The young boy screamed in pain, a scream that could break windows.. The father laughing menacingly, standing over the shaken figure, with no regret, no pain from seeing his son hurt, no pity._

Hermione Granger awoke in fear. Sitting straight up, Hermione looked around the room. 'This is foolish, it was just a dream, no reason to be scared.' Hermione thought, trying to calm her shaking self.

She tried to remember the dream. It was slipping away in her mind like sand in a hand. 'Think hard.'

'An unforgiveable curse, a boy screaming, laughing.. no faces.' she recalled, shuddering involuntary.

She had this sudden urge to go find the helpless, screaming boy against the menacing father, but she didn't know where to go. She felt so bad for the kid, not defending himself, if only she could protect him. She knew it was impossible, she couldn't get into her dreams, plus the figures didn't have faces, no names were ever given, just alot of pain that she felt the boy go through. It was like she was the one being cursed. She felt everything the boy felt.

Looking at her watch on her table, she saw it was nearly time to wake and get ready. There was noway she could go back to bed anyway, she didn't want to have another nightmare. So she got up, and went into the bathroom that she shared with the Head Boy. He wasn't awake yet, thankfully, so she took a hot shower. When she was done, she got dressed and did the usual morning things, before descending her stairs that lead to the common room.

When she got down the stairs, she was suprised to see none other but Draco Malfoy sitting in the chair. It wasn't a shock that he wasn't supposed to be in there, because he was the Head Boy, but it was the shock that he was waiting for the bathroom, and not forcing her out.

"Malfoy." Hermione said.

"Granger." Draco replied.

He got up from the couch, and walked up the stairs to his bedroom, then 2 seconds later, she heard the shower running. Hermione walked out of the common room and walked to the Great Hall.

Slowly she walked, thinking of her restless night. The stairway leading from the Head Rooms was dark and twisted. You had to pay attention to where you were going because the path was hard to follow.

'Stop dwelling on it. It was just a dream.' Hermione tried to convince herself. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like it was real. It was so life like, she felt as though she were there the whole time, watching the poor kid being tortured but not helping him. She felt stressed, as if this were a hard essay that she couldn't get right.

'What was up with Malfoy this morning? He didn't harass me, it was as if he was just empty. Nothing there. His eyes were emotionless, usually full of hatred when he looked at her, but not today. And he wore no smirk. Nothing.' Hermione was deep in thought while walking to corridors.

"You have dishonored the family name. You have put shame on me. How will people look at me now? I am one of the most feared wizards and youa coward, a disgrace to be my heir." Roared the man. He has a look of hatred in his gray eyes. They bore into his sons eyes, looking with disgust. He held his mouth in a smirk, a smirk of hatred, a smirk of disgust, a smirk of pleasure. For he lived to see his son in pain. Pain made him strong, pain made him who he is. His son could deal with pain.

The boy was frozen with fear. He knew what his father was capable of, he knew his father loved pain. He was lectured time and time again about pain.

The father, sensing fear, threw his favorite spell, an Unforgivable, the one he used over and over on his son.

"Crucio!"

The pain was excruciating. He screamed out in pain, out in anger, out in frustration. He never showed weakness, especially to his father, his father loved seeing him hurt. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction, but he did. The pain was terrible, worse then he's had it in a while. Somewhere in the back on his mind he could hear someone else screaming, not his fatherhe was laughing, but a girl. A girl was screaming in pain.

"Hermione! Wake up!"

"Hermione, please!"

When she opened her eyes, there were her two best friends, looking on with a worried expression. She realized she was on the floor, on the cold ground. Her throat was aching, as thought she screamed for her life. Then she remembered it, the dream, the nightmare, the cold voice, the ear piercing scream. It all came flooding back.

"What happened, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"I-I feel. I must have had a bad dream, I just remember screaming." She didn't feel like explaining that she's been having nightmares sporadically about a boy being tortured by his own father. She didn't think they'd understand.

"Are you okay now 'Mione?" asked Harry Potter.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." she said as she got off the ground. "Lets go to breakfast."

With that, Hermione continued her walk to the Great Hall accompanied with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.

Back in the Head Common room, Draco Malfoy wakes up on the shower floor. The water was scorching his skin, and he had a terrible headache.

'What happened?' he asked himself as he picked himself off the ground.

With a flash in his mind, he remembered what happened. He has these dreams, well, not necessarily dreams, they're really happening, only when his defenses are down. When he's tired or peaceful, his father gets into his mind. He can feel the aftermath of his dreams. He remembered the curse, the worse curse his fathers used on him yet. Of course his father has used this curse before, loads of times, but it's never been that powerful. He had forgotten all about screaming in front of his father, but when he did, he also remembered the sound of a girl screaming. Her voice was there. It was as if she was going through everything he was. But it was impossible. He was being punished, he was the only one besides his father. But he felt uneasy, he didn't quite believe himself.

He allowed himself to think. He remembered an odd presence, but he didn't see anybody, and how could somebody get into his dreams? His own personal affairs. He didn't understand it, and with the headache he had, he wasn't likely to figure it out now.

He stopped thinking about the dreams and focused on his shower. He finished his shower and dressed for classes.

Breakfast was boring for Draco and Hermione. Hermione was out of it. She was shocked over how much pain she feels after she has those dreams about that boy getting hurt. She ached all over, as if she was the one being cursed. Draco was in painhe was the one the curses were aimed at.

He's had these occurrences since he started Hogwarts, always his father torturing him at their Manor. But this year, he got them more often. He got them in the shower, during naps, eating, whenever his defenses were down. When they happened, it was just as if it were a dream, he would walk around, talk, feel, everything, but be in two places at once. He often passed out from them.

He was thinking of the girl screaming when he was being tortured. Nobody had ever tapped into his dreams before, besides his Father. he wanted to know who the girl was, who was witnessing him being mistreated, witnessing him being weak. This plagues his mind, keeping all his attention on that. The thought of breakfast made him feel sick, so he decided to go.

"I'm going to class early." he said to no one in particular. Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were used to him zoning out. They didn't pay attention to him much anymore.

"Hermione, are you sure you're okay? You're mighty pale." a very concerned Harry asked.

"Um. Yeah, just tired. I'm going to class early guys, I'm not hungry and I'm not feeling well."

"Okay 'Mione. Feel better soon." wished Ron.

The boys quickly turned their attention to Neville, who was telling them about the letter he received from his Uncle that was visiting America.

Hermione and Draco left the Great Hall the same time. Walking quietly to Double Potions together, not talking.

'Boy, she looks pale.' thought Draco.

Hermione was pale. All her color had drained from her face, her eyes were blank and unreadable.

A voice interrupted her thoughts. "Granger, are you alright?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" replied Hermione, still lost in thought.

Just as she answered, Draco fell over. He was moving and shaking. Hermione became alert of the situation and bent down to Malfoy, trying to stop the seizure-like activity. She was scared, she didn't know what to do or how to get it to stop. She tried soothing him "It'll be alright. You'll pull though it.", but it wasn't working.

She, herself, started to get tired, exhausted. She was weak but she still tried to stay conscious. Eventually, she too, lost sense of herself.

Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, two of the biggest enemies in Hogwarts, were passed out next to each other in the Hallway. Both were having fits that would look like seizures to anyone who saw.

_She was in a dark, long hallway but she didn't recognize it. It wasn't Hogwarts. She saw something move in front of her, but she was so scared. She didn't even want to move._

_She managed a whisper, "Hello?"_

_"Hello? Anybody here?" she whispered a little louder._

_She saw the figure move. It was the boy from her dreams earlier. She knew it was him, she could sense his presence. _

_"Hello?" she said to the boy._

_He whipped around, curious of whose womanly voice was filling the hallway. It wasn't his mother, her voice was cold, and shrill. This voice was soothing, comforting. He spotted the girl. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was dreadful._

_"Granger?" drawled the voice of the boy._

_Hermione's heart stopped. She had thought the boy to be peaceful, a real gentleman. But this boy was far from it. He deserved everything he had been put through, or so she thought._

_"Malfoy? You're the boy I've been dreaming about?... This can't be happening." she said._

_"You've been having fantasies about me, Granger? Impressive, and here I thought you had no taste." teased Draco._

_"You wish. What am I doing here?" she said, trying her best to sound calm. _

_"I don't know, but you're not safe here. Follow me." he said as he lead her down the hall and up three flights of stairs._

_They reached a landing followed by a long hall. He brought her to the fourth door and opened it._ _She supposed it was his bedroom, the walls were painted in Green and Silver and Black, with a bed and room furniture. 'Typical.' she thought._

_"This is my room. Stay here. Don't go wondering off, as I know you would do. As much as I hate you, I wouldn't want you killed by my father. Nobody deserves that. Stay here until I come back for you. Promise me." he said._

_She saw no emotion in his eyes except fear. That scared her even, because she knew Malfoys' never showed fear. She guessed since he knew she'd heard him scream in pain, that hiding fear wouldn't get by her._

_"Okay, I promise." she said, surprised she was calm, but curious of why he was truly protecting her._

_He walked away without another word. Once he disappeared behind the door, she ran and locked it. She was scared, she had never been more scared in her life. She feared that she wouldn't get out of this alive. She feared that she'd be tortured. She feared the fear she saw in Malfoy's eyes. It frightened her. All she could do was wait. Wait to see what fate brought her. Wait to see if she was going to be put through pain. _

_Waiting. That was the easy part, but the hardest too_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Below is previous chapters 5 through 8 combined into one chapter. No changes have been made to the text, I just combined the chapters together to make them longer.

* * *

_As soon as he left the room, he heard the door lock._

_'I don't know why I did that! Ugh. She's a mudblood, a filthy, dirty mudblood.', Draco thought. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew why he was protecting her. It was fear. Fear of his father, fear of Lucius Malfoy._

_'Why must I be tortured every night?' he dwelled._

_He followed the hallway from his room up two flights of stairs and down another long hallway. Near the end he reached a set of tall, gothic style doors engraved with the Malfoy crest. The handles were silver, with two serpents entwined._

_Behind these doors was everything the pale, platinum blonde feared._

_Slowly, reaching out, he turned the handle, dreading what was to come._

_"If it isn't my favorite son! I've been expecting you." drawled a cold, merciless voice._

_"Father." Draco acknowledged._

_"Where are your manners, boy! Bow to your superiors." ordered Lucius Malfoy._

_Draco didn't object, so he regretfully bowed. He hated his father, he was despicable, and bowing to him made him feel like he was bowing to the Dark Lord himself._

_"Draco, Draco, Draco. What actions have you taken so far today to denounce the Malfoy name?" asked the man._

_There he sat, in the corner of the room. The light from the fire place illuminating his features. His long blonde hair was reflected by the light, making his pointed nose look even pointier. A spitting image of this man stood across the room, nearly 40 feet away. It was amazing how much these two men, father and son, looked alike, but how different their personalities were. Sure, Draco and Lucius both were arrogant and self-centered. Both thought they were worthier then any other person, wizard alive. And both Malfoys cherished pure-bloods. Both Malfoys, too, thought that pureblood's were better than mudbloods or half-bloods. But they didn't value the same things. Lucius was a Death Eater, while Draco vowed never to be one. They were completely different people, not that anyone noticed though._

_"You know Father, I don't understand why I would ever embarrass the Malfoy name, because you do it so well yourself. Kneeling in front of a half-blood, following his orders. That alone is despicable." sneered the young Malfoy, Draco._

_"How dare you insult the Dark Lord. He's better than you'll ever be! You should be lucky he even wants you as a follower! You're not even worthy enough to kiss his robes." roared the furious man. Lucius Malfoy never liked the fact that he was indeed taking orders from a half-blood, but he wasn't stupid enough to say it. He knew the Dark Lord was very powerful, and for that reason alone, he followed him._

_"Who says I want to take orders from a wizard who can't even kill a baby? Who says I want to take orders from a man who has to have others do his dirty work?" yelled Draco._

_"I do. You will serve the Dark Lord and you will not argue. You're life is set, boy. When you graduate you will get the Dark Mark. Do you understand me or do you need persuading?" Lucius Malfoy remarked, straining to sound calm._

_But Draco already knew that no matter what he thought about it, the "persuading" was coming._

_And he was ready for it. There was no way in fighting it ofcourse, but it makes it a tad bit less painful._

_"Crucio!"_

_The pain was excruciating, but he wouldn't scream. No matter how bad the pain was, he wouldn't let it show, not this time.  
After three rounds of the Cruciatus Curse and no screaming, no gasps of pain, and no moans, Lucius started getting bored. He simply threw Draco furious looks and stepped over the limp form of his son sprawled on the floor. When Draco heard the door shut, he decided he should leave._

_The pain was deadly, but he was proud. He never uttered a word. He never gave his father the satisfaction of knowing he was in pain. As soon as Draco picked himself up off the floor, he fell again to the cold, stone floor._

_He tried to stand. After four more attempts, he finally succeeded. He drug himself through the hallway, down 2 flights of stairs, and through another hallways before he reached his door._

_He grabbed the handle, but it was locked._

_Hermione was pacing around the room, worried, scared._

_The room was huge. Mostly green, black, and silver, "Slytherin" colors. She wasn't surprised. He was so arrogant! But she couldn't help but feel frightened for him. She knew his father. She knew he would hold no remorse towards ever hurting anybody, even his own son. And she had saw it. Even if it is only a dream, it feels so real. She didn't understand anything about this. Was this a dream, or was this actually happening? She decided that if she ever got out of this, she'd go to the library and look it up._

_She was lost in thought when she heard it. She was thinking of reasons why Malfoy could be so cruel. But it made sense. His father was abusive, of course he would be cruel._

_The sound that pulled her out of her thoughts was someone trying to get through the door. The handle jiggled, but she had locked it. But a simple spell would open. For some reason, who ever was at the door hadn't tried to magic their way in._

_Fear, anxiety, anticipation, and dread all flooded her mind._

_The she heard a light cry._

_"Granger. Please.. open.." It was so faint. Barely audible through the door._

_But she heard it, and she knew immediately that it was Draco Malfoy, and he sounded hurt._

_'What if this is a set up? What if I get hurt when I open this door?' she thought._

_Still, even though she was frightened, she couldn't take any chances incase it really was a hurt Malfoy. She rushed to the door, unlocking it. As much as she hated Malfoy, she was a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors are brave. She pulled the doors open, and a blood stained blonde fell through, knocking over Hermione, landing right on top of her._

Hermione did the first thing any girl, any person, would do if a bloody person fell on themshe panicked.

There was an extremely arrogant boy, whom she detested, lying on top of her, unconscious. She pushed and pushed to roll Malfoy's body off her, but to no prevail. She was scared that he wouldn't wake, and even more frightened that somebody would see the situation they were in. Worst of all, Lucius.

She wasn't thinking properly the whole time his body was on her, her head wasn't clear. There was too much going on for her to think rationally. She was confused because she didn't know where she was, she was scared because she was with Malfoy none the less.

Out of a moment of brilliance, Hermione remembered the wand that she was clutching for dear life. If she would have been thinking right, it would have popped in her head immediately to use magic.

"Wingardium Leviosa." chanted Hermione.  
A purple spark emitted from the tip of her wand, hitting the unconscious boy.

His body slowly ascended off of Hermione. She slowly pushed herself off the ground while keeping her wand out to levitate Malfoy to his bed. She was pretty uncomfortable being in his room, and putting him on his bed was even worse.

She placed him down softly, knowing he was in a lot of pain. She couldn't help but think of how much she wanted to drop his lifeless body from a great height, but she couldn't do it. He had been nice to her earlier, she couldn't make him hurt.

She hesitantly pulled the green covers of his body, feeling even more uncomfortable every second. Slowly and quietly, for she didn't know who was in the house, she pulled a chair next to his bed.

She sat down for a while, gathering her thoughts. Endless questions crossed her mind time and time again. She was perplexed, scared, lonely. There had never been a time when all her knowledge hasn't helped her, but here she was, without absolutely no clue as to what was going on. She figured she was in Malfoy Manor, just a guess. There was no proof of anything, except that she was in Draco Malfoy's room. How did she get here? Is this a dream, or is this real? Nothing made sense to her.

After endless questions and analyzing, Hermione drifted off.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she was surrounded by white linen hangings. She was on a bed, in a hospital gown. Even more confused, Hermione sat straight up, pulling the hangings back. She looked around and realized she was in the infirmary. It was completely empty, except for the deep inhaling and exhaling of the occupant of the bed next to her. She figured it was Malfoy, seeing how the last thing she remembered was being with him. Everything came flooding back in an instant: the dream, the hallway, the room, the unconscious Malfoy. She was even more confused then she was before. How was she in the infirmary when she was just in another building?

Hermione dangled her feet off the side of her bed, trying to make sense of everything. No matter how hard she thought, or how long, she couldn't figure out anything.

Startling her from her thoughts, she heard hangings pull back from the bed next to her. A platinum blonde peeked out, looking paler than ever.

He caught her gaze for a second, and looked away fast. He didn't know what to say to her. He was even more confused than she was. Maybe not, because he wasn't concerned about if it was a dream or not, or how they had gotten to a different building. But he was confused because the only thing that kept him strong when his father was throwing curses at him in the dream, was her. All we was thinking was that he had to keep his father away from her, and he had to make it back to his room to make sure she was okay. It didn't make sense to him. He shouldn't have cared, she's just a mudblood, Harry Potter's best friend. He didn't care about her, and she didn't care about him.

"What's going on, Malfoy?" a soft voice asked.

He looked up, right into her eyes again and saw so much confusion that he could get lost in. He knew he needed to explain everything to her. But his pride got the better of him, and before he could stop himself, he said it.

"What are you talking about, Mudblood?"

She rolled her eyes, she wasn't in the mood to care about the foul names he was calling her. She just wanted to know what was happening. She looked right into his eyes again, and didn't say a word to him. It made him angry, he didn't even make her mad! He realized that she desperately needed to know what was going on, and decided to tell her the parts he knew.

"Okay, okay. They're just dreams, well, nightmares. But they're deadly nightmares. Everything that happens in them affects your real life. So, if you die in the dreams, then you die in real life." he trailed off at the look on her face.

"So, are you hurt now? How long have you been through this? Why me, why am I in your dreams?" she asked hurriedly.

"I've had these nightmares since I first started Hogwarts. It's always been like this. And, I have no idea why you are in them. I haven't figured that out." he answered, determinedly avoiding her first question. He hoped she would forget that question.

"And, are you hurt now?" she asked.

'Shit.' he thought.  
"No, I'm fine." he lied.

"Don't lie. I was there with you for most of it. I even made sure to put you on a soft bed when you fell on me unconscious. I didn't ask for any of this! I think the least you would do is be honest to me about everything!" she said, her voice raising at the end.

He mentally cursed himself. He knew, yet again, that he'd have to tell her.

"What do you think, Granger? No, I feel just fine and dandy. I've only been hit with a couple unforgivable's, but they made me feel like I was being tickled!" he yelled, sarcastically.

She sat there, not saying anything, just looking at him. Staring. He knew she was getting mad, but she portrayed patience. He lived to get her riled up, but suddenly, all his energy just went away. He layed back down in the bed, closing his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, in an uncaring manner.

"Granger, listen to me. You have to try hard to not get into my dreams. It's dangerous, you'll get killed. Try to block them out. They're not real, it's not real life. No one other than you and I know about them. They're just my dreams, and you shouldn't come barging into them. And don't tell anyone about them. Nothing at all." he was lying to her. Well, not lying, but he wasn't telling her what he wanted to. He couldn't say, "Granger, even though you hate me and I hate you, I would like you to come back to my nightmares with me just to give me something to live for."

She sat there in silence. She knew she wouldn't try to block to out his dreams. She loved adventure, and him being really serious about it made it a lot more interesting. Curiosity killed that cat. Not literally, but she was curious, and even the thought of death wouldn't change her mind.

Draco fell asleep as Hermione was lost in her thoughts. She glanced over at the sleeping boy, admiring how angelic he looked as he sleeps.

'Angel.' she thought, and suddenly, she was upset. Tears started flowing freely out of her eyes, down her cheeks. Silently sobbing, Hermione thought of her summer vacation.

**Her mom had told her as soon as they got settled in at home after her fifth year, that she was expecting. Expecting a baby in no more the 3 months; a baby who would be 16 years younger then herself. Hermione wasn't mad, she was happy for her parents; she knew they had been wanting another child since Hermione was four, but they couldn't get pregnant. However, she was a little upset. She had been their only daughter-only child-for 16 years, and now her parents were being took from her by a baby. She was being selfish though, her parents needed another baby, Hermione was never home except on holidays, and soon she'd be graduating and off on her own. She felt happier already.**

**But Hermione doesn't feel mad anymore. She didn't feel that way after a week of being home. The thought of her mom being pregnant enlightened her, made her happy. She was excited about the baby coming into her life. She was sad that she'd be back at school when it came, but she'd come home as soon as possible to see it. She had went to all the doctors appointments with her mom, saw the sonograms of the baby, and was there when they found out it was a baby girl. She even got to help pick the names. In the end, they decided on Angel Elizabeth Granger. It was a beautiful name to an undoubtedly beautiful baby.**

**But 7 days-one week-before Hermione was due back to school, her mom had gone into pain. By the sounds of it, it was excruciating pain. Her mom was rushed to the hospital immediately, due to her condition. When the pain subsided, they did sonograms and heart rate monitors to check the baby, but there was no more baby. They said the pain was caused from a miscarriage, from the death of the unborn baby who had already had a big place in the three Grangers' hearts.**

**Her family was a wreck. Mrs. Granger was allowed home the next day with medicine incase she had any more pains, and a recommendation of plenty bed rest. But Mrs. Granger was a complete disaster. The whole family was. Her parents were fighting, blaming each other for the loss of the unborn baby; Mr. Granger said Mrs. Granger hurt the baby on purpose. It was all too much. Soon the finger was pointed at Hermione, saying that Hermione had cursed the baby to death because she was jealous. Her perfect family had fallen apart.**

Just reliving this summer brought on a storm of silent sobs. She felt like somehow she was responsible, some how it was her fault her unborn baby sister died.

'Don't think like that! You know you did nothing!' Hermione scolded herself for probably the 1 millionth time this school year.

She promised herself that she wouldn't tell anyone about what happened. No one needed to know about her baby sister, no one needed to know that her family had fallen apart. She would just go on as a normal year, no sister, no parents. She knew that her sister would always be in her heart, always on her mind, but she didn't want to show anyone that she was sad, or depressed. She didn't want people to feel sorry for her, to pity her, to want to be her friend and be nice to her because of her summer.

A voice brought her back, a stern voice, with a little bit of mothering.

"Dear! You're awake! You should have come straight to me" said the Medi-witch.

'I've only been up an hour or longer. She probably wasn't even here.' she thought.

"Oh. Hi Madam Pompfrey." said Hermione.

"How do you feel" asked the nurse.

"I'm fine. Just really beat. I'm extremely tired. I want to lie down." Hermione lied. She was tired, but she didn't feel good. She just wanted to sleep and she'd feel better when she woke up.

"That's fine. Just take a sip of this potion and then be off to bed." replied the nurse, as she handed a goblet of something to Hermione.

Hermione drank it, loving the way the liquid slid down her throat, sending a soothing feeling throughout her body.

She watched Madam Pompfrey slip some of the same potion into Malfoy's sleeping form as she lied on the bed. Instantly, as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"'Mione, wake up." whispered a boy with messy, jet-black hair, while a boy with flaming red hair poked her in her side.

Hermione jetted out of sleep, releasing a deep groan from being woken. She slowly opened her eyes, looking around and spotting her best friends. She was a little mad; they had woken her from a great dreamless sleep. She needed it, didn't they know that?

"Hey 'Mione!" yelled Ronald Weasley.

Sitting up, Hermione grabbed her head, suffering from a throbbing headache.

"Hey guys." she said.

The boys had a concerned look on their face, but in their eyes you could see excitement.

"What are you guys happy about?" she asked quietly, scared to speak louder because of her headache.

"We're not happy about anything. We came to see how you were. You've been asleep for two days" Harry said.

"TWO DAYS? What about classes? What day is it?" she shrieked, suddenly forgetting her headache.

"It's Saturday. Dumbledore excused you and Malfoy from classes until you woke. What happened?" he asked, while throwing the bed next to Hermione's a dirty look.

"Oh. So no classes today? Good." she replied, trying hard to dodge Harry's last question.

"What happened?" persisted Ron.

"I'm not sure." she lied.

"We were the ones to find you. And Malfoy. You were both lying on the floor, next to each other. We thought at first that you were attacked, but you two seemed to be having a fit or something. When the Great Hall let out for classes, you guys drew a crowd. Dumbledore walked out after a while and saw you two on the ground. He levitated you two to the hospital wing. Madam Pompfrey said that you were out for 2 hours before you came back. We were scared, but he made us go to class." Ron explained.

"Oh. I don't remember anything. I walked out of the Great Hall and walked down the hall way a little, but then I remember waking up the other day. I don't remember anything else." she said, lying once again. She's never been the type to lie, except for dire emergencies. But this seemed like an emergency. She didn't understand it herself, so why should she bring Harry and Ron into it, getting them confused and fussy?

"Do you feel okay?" asked Harry.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'd have been a lot better if you wouldn't have woke me up by poking me." she replied sarcastically.

"Sorry." Ron smiled sheepishly.

"So, 'Mione, going to the Quidditch game? Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. First game of the season." Harry said, excitedly.

Hermione's spirits dropped-not that they were too high in the first place-because they were more excited over Quidditch than they were if she was okay or not. Sure, they asked if she was okay and what happened, but they didn't really care. She could see the excitement in their eyes when she first woke up. It's always been like that though, she shouldn't be surprised. But she was hurt.

"No, I'm still not feeling great. I think I'm going to rest, maybe get caught up on my school work. Good luck though." she said dully.

"Oh, Okay. See ya later." they chimed, while walking out of the hospital wing.

She sat there in thought for a long while. Just thinking, about everything. How things have changed. Harry, Ron, and her have all drifted away. They weren't there for her when she was kicked out, they weren't there when she was being accused of killing her unborn sister. They probably didn't even know anything about it. Every time she tried to tell them, they'd start talking about something else. Tears suddenly sprung into her eyes, but she pushed them back down.

"Granger." a low voice said.

She jerked her head to her left, looking at the obviously just awoken blonde sitting on the bed next to her. She stared at him, unable to look away. It was like she was drawn to him. So she just stared, taking in every detail of his face; the way his hair dangled by his gray eyes; the way his eyes looked uncertain, they way his brow was scrunched up in confusion, the way his face was perfect. She scrutinized everything about him in a minute that seemed to last two hours. She came to the conclusion that he was different. She didn't know why and she didn't know how, but his eyes didn't hold the same look of loathe that they have for the past six years.

"What?" he asked

She just stared, finally breaking away from her trance and shaking her head.

"Nothing." she replied.

"We need to talk." he said to her, throwing his legs of the side of the bed.

"Yeah, we do." she replied.

He stood up and drug a chair over next to her bed. He sat down, eyes transfixed on the window of the infirmary where the light trickled in. His eyes looked far away, like he was somewhere else.

"They're just dreams Granger. He's not really in them, Lucius I mean. He doesn't know you're there, he doesn't even know he's there. It's just you and me who feel the aftermath of it. I explained it before, if you get hurt in there-in the dreams-you get hurt outside of it. It's been happening my entire life, in dreams and out of dreams. It's to make me strong. I guess it hurts so much in real life that I dream about it too, causing even more pain. I think I know why you're in it, why you are dragged into my dreams." he started off slow and quiet and ended up going quicker and quieter as he went. He was mad at himself for saying all that, that definitely wasn't what he meant to say. But it felt right. He couldn't deny anything, and she hadn't told Potter and Weasel just a few minutes ago. Maybe she was trustworthy. He felt a connection to her, one that he couldn't figure out.

"Why?" she said quietly.

"I've never shared a room with anyone before. Well, not exactly a room, but I've never lived alone with anyone. It's always been me, by myself. In Slytherin I had special treatment, always in a room by myself. But this year, we are basically alone together. I can feel a connection whenever I'm around you. It's confusing. I think that's why you are connected in my dreams. And plus, no one in Slytherin matched my intelligence level, but you do. I think it's all connected."

She was deep in thought as she processed what he said. It made sense, the connection that he felt, because she felt it too. That's why she was always staring at him, never able to tear her eyes away from him. And she hadn't go those dreams until she shared a dorm with him. She was also surprised in how he had just said all that. She could definitely tell that he's changed. He never would have just spilled everything like that last year. She was curious once again. But she had other things to deal with.

She looked over at him again, while he was staring out the window. The light stretched across his pointed face, making him look absolutely stunning and mysterious. She could look at him all day if she could. He looked at her slowly, making eye contact for only the second time that day.

"Is this gonna keep reoccurring?" she asked timidly.

"Probably." he said, getting straight to the point, not hinting around.

She liked that about him. He didn't take time to hint around on things, he said it bluntly. She hated having to translate peoples implications. She wanted people to say what they meant without any distractions.

"Is there anything we can do to make it stop?" she asked. She wasn't frightened anymore, for some reason, when Malfoy explained that to her, it didn't frighten her. She was intrigued beyond all measure. She wanted more, she craved more. It was exciting, and knowing that it wasn't really Lucius made it a lot less scary.

"Nope. Unless we drink a lot of Dreamless Sleep Potion that Madam Pompfrey gave us last night. But that stuff makes me restless." he replied.

She cracked a smile. It wasn't really funny, but it just made her smile for some reason.

"Are you scared?" she asked, knowing that he probably wouldn't answer. But to her surprise, he did.

"Shitless." he replied, honestly.

She was shocked. Did Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy just admit to being scared?

"Are you?" he asked.

"Definitely. But I wanna go back. It may sound twisted, but I'd rather be there than here. I like the thrill. It might not even be that. It might just be that I don't wanna be around Harry and Ron. Anyway, it's not like I can do anything to get out of it." she said.

In all honesty, she was scared. Scared of dieing, scared of getting hurt. But being here, at Hogwarts was hurting her enough. Ron and Harry didn't even ask about her summer, didn't ask why she always looked so sad. They didn't ask why she was depressed and sleep deprived. They didn't care. That's wrong. They did care, they just have a lot of their plates. School, Voldemort, the Order, death, everything. But they still could pay attention to her. But she wasn't going to make them mad over it, she was just going to pretend like she was fine, put on her portrayal of perfection, and live her life. Maybe this-the dreams-will be the only thing to take her mind off of her sister.

The whole time she was lost in thought, Draco Malfoy was staring at her closely. He was the internal battle she was fighting, saw how she was upset and depressed, saw how she was keeping something. He also saw how lonely she was. He felt it all too. It was easy to spot on someone else when you feel it all in yourself. He hated himself, hated who he was, how he was brought up, who his father was, his parents beliefs; it was all bull. He hated being forced into something he didn't want. He changed, he wasn't his fathers rag doll anymore.

"Good." he said. Slowly, he said this last part, not believing that he was going to say it, but knowing deep down that it was true. He couldn't deny it, in every way possible, it was true. When his father was cursing him in the dream, he knew she was in the house, in his room, scared. All he could think about was making sure his father didn't get to her. He wanted to protect her, at the time blood didn't matter. It still doesn't. He hates his father and he'd die before he let his father kill someone who he-Draco Malfoy-could help. Especially not Hermione Granger. For some odd reason, it felt that she knew how he felt; for she had been upset when he left her, and then she took care of him when he came back. The whole time he was being cursed, picturing her is what kept him strong.

**"I need you there."**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- nothing's mine.**

**--------**

To say she was surprised would be an absolute understatement. She was speechless, a first for Hermione Granger. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to do. She was utterly shocked. She thought her ears had deceived her, she thought she was losing her mind.

"Wha.. What did you say?" she asked stupidly.

"You heard me." was all he said.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"We've changed. I've changed, you've changed. We're not the same people we were last year. When you were there, in my room, I had a strange boost of bravery; all I thought about was protecting you and not giving up because you were there." he explained. He felt some strange vibe through her, one that he felt he could tell her his biggest fear in the world, and she wouldn't tell a soul, and she wouldn't laugh at him. That's probably why he's having no trouble in saying everything he's feeling.

"Uh-huh." was her reply. She was even more shocked than she would have imagined. He was Draco Malfoy, her 'enemy' since first year, but he could see right through her better than Harry or Ron. How was that? How did he, of all people, know that she wasn't the same person from before? How did he know something her best friends didn't even recognize?

"What happened to you?" he asked in barely a whisper, but his face was straight. He showed no emotion on that perfect face of his, but in his voice you could hear it.

She didn't know what to say. How could she tell him this? She hadn't even told Ron or Harry. Some things are better left unsaid, but it was nagging on her to tell him, to make him understand why she isn't the same person. She was scared, she's never felt this way with anyone besides Harry and Ron for the last 7 years! And now there was this guy, whom she's never had a civilized conversation with before, making her feel more comfortable then she's ever felt with her two best friends.

And that was where she told the whole sad story of her unborn sister. How she had been mad at first because of the baby, but then she was ecstatic about it, and how she got extremely close to her mom, and how the baby was going to bring joy to the whole family. She told about how her mom had pains one night, how the doctors said the baby died ("I'm sorry Mr and Mrs. Granger, it looks like the baby didn't survive."), and how her family fell apart. She told about how her parents fought constantly, how they blamed each other for the baby's death, ("If you would have been home instead of at work all the time while I was pregnant, this wouldn't have happened!", or, "If you didn't over work yourself while you were pregnant and actually took care of yourself, she'd still be alive!") and how eventually it was all Hermione's fault that her unborn sister died ("You were jealous! You couldn't handle having another child living here; you were selfish. You didn't want a sister, you wanted it to be just you! So you killed the only thing that has made me happy lately!"). She told him how that because of her being a witch, because of her knowing magic, that her parents disowned her and blamed her for the death of the baby ("You cast a spell; you cursed my baby with that thing you carry around! I don't ever want to see you again, I don't want you in this house, in our family. I hate you!"). She told of the faces her parents held everytime they looked at her; the faces of disgust and hate. The faces that made her want to crawl into a ball and die. She told him of how she almost broke her wand in half because of the ridiculous assumptions.

"I did love her, you know. I was looking forward to raising a little sister. I had wanted it my whole life. When my mom told me she was having a baby, I got mad because I'd be missing out. It felt like the were replacing me because I was almost an adult. It hurt. But then, I don't know, I just took joy in knowing they'd be happy and they'd have something to occupy their time. I decorated the nursery, I bought clothes, I did everything. I wanted to be involved with her. I even picked out her name." she paused.

"And when my mom was having pains, I was so scared. When they said that we'd lost the baby, I was so upset. I just wanted to die too. Then everything just fell apart. I loved her more than anything in the world. I think they couldn't think of a logical reason for her death, so they blamed it on me because they didn't understand magic. So naturally, it was all my fault."

The whole time she cried, the whole time he looked on with concern and regret, the whole time a bond was formed that neither of them knew about. And when she was done, she did not feel sorry for telling him. She was, in fact, happy that someone had given her their time to listen, and that someone actually wanted to listen. She felt better than she had since it happened. Maybe it was the sense of comfort that she felt before she started telling the tale, or maybe it was just because she needed to get it off her chest; but either way, she poured her soul out to him, not regretting it one bit.

He didn't say one thing the whole time. He just sat there, staring at her now, digesting what she said; eating it up as she went, feeling as if she ever stopped talking, the world would end. Her voice intoxicated him, he never wanted her to stop talking. But she did. And he heard everything she said. He was saddened quickly. This girl, who didn't have anything to do with her sisters death, was being blamed because she was a witch. Stereotypes. Because she was a witch, she cast a bad spell. Because he was a Malfoy, he was a death eater. It all worked the same. He knew how she felt, somewhat. He didn't know anything about being accused of killing your family, but he knew how it felt to be stereotyped.

"What happened to you?" she asked, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

He sighed. He knew she'd ask, it was inevitable. But he wasn't sure what to say. In a way, it would be discriminating against her and every other non-pureblood, and he didn't want to hurt her, as odd as it may sound. Sure, he's spent his life hurting her, but he just didn't care anymore. He wasn't going to be what his father wanted him to be. So, he told her.

"My whole life I've been expected to be a Death Eater, my life has been planned out accordingly. Every thing is set, just waiting for the right time. Punishment after punishment has been used to get me strong enough to serve the Dark Lord. For a while, it's everything I wanted to be. My Father, in a lump sum. He was strong, he was wealthy, he was powerful, he was feared, he was perfect. I wanted to be him in every way possible, until this summer. I witnessed a bunch of murders. I chilled me to the bone. I can still hear the screams, still see their eyes. Everything that happened, I still see. I relive it every time I close my eyes. And when it came for me to kill, I couldn't do it. I couldn't live with myself after I'd kill innocent muggles. It confused me, because I hated everything about muggles. But the look on their faces; they didn't even know what was happening. It haunts me to this day. And when I was commanded by Father and the Dark Lord to kill them, it opened my eyes. I knew right then that I never wanted to be a Death Eater. I couldn't kill innocent people for no reason, especially muggles. They didn't know anything about the magical world; they didn't know that there are people out there who hate them just because they have no magical abilities. It was stupid and cold. I decided right then and there that I'd never be what my Father wants me to be. I'd never be a Death Eater, never kill innocent people again." he paused a bit, then continued, "I'll never be a puppet to Voldemort. He's a half-blood! And my Father continues to kiss his robes. My whole life I've been taught that pureblood was everything; never let a half-blood or mudblood control you. But look at my Father! He lives under a half-bloods rule. I know now, my whole life is one big lie. When I expressed--not intentionally, of course--my want to get married and be a father, I was severely punished. 'Malfoy's don't fall in love.' my father said. I think he actually felt the same way I do, but he's just too much of a coward. He likes the power, but he hates killing people. You can see it in his eyes, but he's scared. He's too far deep with his Lord. If he were to back out now, he'd be killed in an instant." he paused again, closing his eyes, reminiscing.

She sat there in awe, listening to his story. She was a little upset by him saying 'mudblood' but she can't say anything. It's just like she was brought up that people who eat too much sugar have rotting teeth.

She watched him as he remembered only stuff he knew, looking at him strangely. She was just now noticing that he, again, poured him entire soul into her. She felt needed, she felt wanted, and she loved the feeling.

He continued after a couple of moments of silence; beautiful silence.

"He never loved her, you know. My mother, I mean. He still doesn't. He just knew it would get him more power. He told me all that. How would you feel if your father told you that you were only created so he could pass on his power to you? That you were created by two filthy people who couldn't care less about you, except if you lived well enough to become powerful and influential? I want out. I'll never be anybody's puppet." And that's where he stopped talking.

They sat there, both completely quiet. Neither knowing what to say to the other. They were confused too, both feeling the same feelings. Why do I feel so comfortable with him/her? Why am I talking so freely with him/her? Why does this feel so right? Why do I feel as though I can trust him/her? What does this mean?

"Thanks, Malfoy." she broke the silence.

"For what?" he asked, but already suspecting what she was going to say; for he felt the same.

"For this. For all this. For talking to me, for listening to me, for not laughing at me, and not being rude. For understanding me better than I do myself." she said.

He smiled, a true smile. It wasn't big, but it immediately brightened the mood. He liked this feeling, the feeling of being needed and wanted at the same time. This girl in front of him was the only friend he's ever had.

"Thanks. For being a friend." they said together.

**----------------**

The two talked long into the day, not bothering to eat lunch, both completely content with sitting in the hospital wing listening to the other talk. Both had the unmistakable feeling of understanding from the other person. Dinner was brought to them by Madam Pompfrey who insisted on them to stay one more night in the hospital. Neither objected, for neither wanted to leave.

Hermione was so interested in talking to Draco that she never thought about Harry and Ron never coming to see her after the game, never coming at all. She didn't worry about what would happen when she got out of the infirmary, how she would act around Draco. She was absorbed in the present, not in the future. She was carefree at the moment and didn't want to feel any other feeling for the rest of her life.

Their talking subsided late into the night, when the only light available in the infirmary was the light from the torches on the walls and the stars shining through the windows. During their talking, both made their way to their beds, which were right next to each other. Now both were in their beds, listening to the silence that consumed them. After hours of just laying in bed, Draco fell asleep.

Hermione lay awake, thinking of what new revelations the day brought. Slowly she drifted off into another land.

_She walked down the same dark hallway, remembering every twist and turn like the back of her hand. She remembered every picture, door, and statue. She stared at the end of the hallway, watching the figure lean against the wall. She knew he'd be there, waiting. _

_"Hey." she said as she reached him._

_"What took you so long? I've been waiting here forever!" he nearly shouted._

_She made a gesture for him to be quiet, so he lowered his voice._

_"I've been here forever, waiting for you!" he whispered.  
__  
"I was just up, couldn't go to sleep." she replied._

_"So what are we up for tonight?" she asked._

_"Not sure, guess we'll find out." he shrugged._

_"Okay?" she whispered, her fright evident in her voice._

_He stood from the wall and walked ahead of her, motioning for her to follow. He led her up the stairs to another long hallway filled with old paintings of people, all sporting the platinum blonde hair. They all had sneers on their faces, like it was permanately glued to every Malfoy born._

_He walked into a door on the right side of the hallway and told her to wait outside. She stood there, looking at the paintings, the crimson carpet, the dark hallway, the unwelcoming feeling. _

_He came out about 10 minutes later, carrying a large dusty book. He had a smug look on his face as he walked out, looking proud._

_"What's that?" she asked, motioning at the book._

_"This..? It's research!" he replied, excitedly._

_-----------_

**Most of this you've read. The end part is kinda just nothing, I just needed to update so you guys know I haven't abandoned this story. Sorry if this isn't perfect. It was just thrown together.. I'll get a real chapter up sometime. Hopefully. But, I HAVEN'T given up on this. It's just taking a long time for me to update.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- **I'll get to excuses for my extremely late updates later. For now, just read!.

----------------

**Previously**: _"What's that?" she asked, motioning at the book._

_"This..? It's research!" he replied, excitedly._

_---------_

_Hermione stared dumbfounded as Draco skimmed through this ancient book at rate of speeds that should be illegal. She didn't think anybody could read that fast and actually absorb information. _

_He had led her to the drawing room, where now they sat next to each other at a little round table in the dead center of the floor. _

_She had tried asking him hundreds of times what the book was, but all he replied with was, "Hmm." So obviously, he was concentrating very hard._

_She stared at the book for a little while longer, taking in its beaten exposure and its worn pages. She had guessed it was a very important book because it was hidden in his fathers office. She managed to get that much out of him on the walk here._

_She stared at him. Reading so eagerly out of this book. The way his eyes lit up when he thought he found something useful. Or how his facial features changed when he was let down. She watched how fast his eyes danced across the pages of the book, and how fast his fingers turned the page. She was fascinated of how she could never have seen this before. Draco Malfoy was actually human. He read, he felt, he cared, he could even get excited._

_She was lost deep in awe when she was brought back by Draco Malfoy himself screaming._

_"I FOUND SOMETHING! LOOK! HERMIONE, LOOK!" he screamed as he jumped out of his chair. _

Hermione about jumped out of her chair in anxiety and fright.

_She rushed over to the him and the book, staring where his finger was pointing the whole time._

... an ancient trick used in the Malfoy family. When ones heir(s) is showing doubts of faithfulness, use their downtime to force them to see your way. For example, when one's young is sleeping, they are brought, by their dreams, to a place all too familiar to them for punishment. Usually Malfoy Manor, but not in every case. Wherever the heir(s) is most familiar to getting punished, they are brought. The young are completely concious and can remember everything when awoken. The punisher, however, will never remember what happened. This way the punisher can never feel guilt about what they might have done to their heir(s).

This is used as force to the 'right side'. With severe punishments and time to think upon ones actions, they are sure to see the elders way. There are no limits on punishments, but most parents have found that leaving their heir(s) alone while in this place has most effect. Little severe beatings and time to dwell on the consequences in previous/later actions are most effective when the youngs doubts are swaying.

This is a very complex spell and most be thought about for some time. Only the caster of the spell can remove it unless the heir(s) have completely changed sides. To perform this spell, read on.'" _read Draco._

_Both Hermione and Draco stood looking at the book for some time. _

_"Well, that explains a lot." he said. _

Hermione was still staring at the book when she asked, "Draco, is this a guide to how to run the Malfoy family?"

_"Something like that. It's only used for extreme measures. If you didn't know what to do, you refer to this handbook. It's been passed down from age to age." he replied._

_"Oh." was all she could say._

_She was stuck on how a family could be run off of a book. It was ridiculous. She felt bad for the Malfoy children. They had rules to follow out of a book, guidelines to follow out of a book, and expectations to meet out of a book. Their punishments were also determined on a book. She couldn't even imagine living as a Malfoy. _

_Draco was lost in thought. Thinking about how his Father could cast a spell on him like that. And how he could ever put up with all this every time he fell asleep. Then he thought of the positive. Of how if he completely switched sides, he would be free of this. And that there probably wouldn't be too much punishment because his father always follows the rules out of the book. And how if **she** was here every time, he would be okay._

_He shook his head at his last thought. _

_He finally just then remembered she was in the room. He looked over at her while she was staring at the book, gazing mindlessly._

_"What's wrong?" he asked._

_She dwelled sometime, just studying his face as his expression turned from lost in thought to concern. _

_"I'm sorry." she replied. _

"For what!" he asked, completely caught off guard with her apology.

_"Your childhood. It must have been horrible living your life out of a book" _

"I'm okay now, aren't I? I didn't become completely like my father, did I? I mean, I know I'm alot like him in so many ways, but I'm not him completely." he replied, looking at the floor. He was ashamed because he knew he was like his father.

She looked at him, upset with herself for ever bringing it up. She hated seeing him look depressed or him even thinking he was his father. Because he wasn't anything like his father.

_"You're not your father in anyway. Your name is Draco Malfoy. And you've got something you're father will never have." she said, as she lifted his head to look in her eyes. "You've got spirit, you've got feeling, you've got.. guts. You're not him. He would never stand up to somebody bigger than him, more powerful than him, and you did! You're not him, you may not realize it now. But you will. When this spell is over, when you break the spell, when you switch sides completely, you will know you're not him."_

_He just stared in her eyes. Memorized by how much faith she had in him. She was perfect. A great friend. She wasn't a mudblood, she was a witch. A great witch. A naive witch, but that's okay. All that mattered was that she trusted him. And she knew he was serious. She trusted him. He never felt anything better in the world than having somebody trust you. _

"I can help you switch sides, Draco. If thats what you really want." she offered.

And thats what he was hoping. That she would help him. That she was with him.

"I don't care what side I'm on, as long as I'm with you." he replied.

_----------------------_

**Author's Note: **So, do you all hate me yet? I'm really sorry it took so long. When summer rolled around, I had to get a job. Because I got my license, so I needed gas money. Then I worked almost every single day. Never had time for anything. And having my license and going every where doesn't help. Volleyball started last week, so they cut my hours alot. And school starts Monday, so i won't work as much. But I'll have school, volleyball, and work most days. So it'll be hard.

I really love this chapter. Because the book was a way to explain the dreams without having to go back and re-do the whoolllle story. So, yeah. I know its not long, but atleast it's something.  
Hope it holds you over for more.

Til then,

**_Kristina_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Previously:**

_He just stared in her eyes. Memorized by how much faith she had in him. She was perfect. A great friend. She wasn't a mudblood, she was a witch. A great witch. A naive witch, but that's okay. All that mattered was that she trusted him. And she knew he was serious. She trusted him. He never felt anything better in the world than having somebody trust you. _

_"I can help you switch sides, Draco. If thats what you really want." she offered._

_And thats what he was hoping. That she would help him. That she was with him._

_"I don't care what side I'm on, as long as I'm with you." he replied

* * *

_

The sun shone bright through the stained glass of the hospital wing, its rays spilling on the occupants. Reds and greens and blues and golds were projected throughout the room.

Hermione rolled over slowly, while adjusting her eyes to the many different colors. She looked to the boy laying on the bed next to her, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. Before long, his eyes too opened to the morning rays.

He smiled at her ever so slightly while stretching his limp limbs.

"Good morning." Hermione greeted.

"Good morning." he mumbled.

"Good morning Draco, Hermione. How are you two feeling?" interrupted Madam Pomfrey.

"Fine." both said in unison.

She looked at each one with disbelief in her eyes, but she couldn't find anything medically wrong with the two, so she couldn't argue with them.

"Are you ready to go back to your rooms? Or do I need to keep you here still?" the Medi-Witch asked.

"I'll go back to my room, please." insisted Hermione.

"Yes, Dear. That is fine. But if you feel like anything is wrong, don't hesitate to come back, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." replied Hermione.

"What about you, Draco?" asked Madam Pompfrey.

"I'll go back too, thanks." he said.

So both had a quick exam from Madam Pompfrey and were sent on their ways. They had been in the hospital wing for some time and were eager to sleep in their own beds, in their own clothes. But neither was eager for the social world.

* * *

"'Mione!" shouted Harry and Ron as they banged on the portrait entrance of the Head Common Room.

Hermione was upstairs, peacefully at sleep. Draco was in the common room reading as he heard the yelling and banging of Hermione's friends. He really didn't want to let them it, but he figured she would be mad if he didn't. So, regretfully, he opened the portrait to Ron and Harry.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked with venom in his voice.

"I do believe she is sleeping." Draco replied equally as nasty.

"We're coming in." Harry said, as he and Ron pushed right on by Draco.

Draco just shook his head and watched them trudge up the stairs to Hermione's room.

* * *

"Hermione! Why didn't you tell us you were out of the hospital?" was what woke Hermione from her peaceful nap.

She jumped right up, frightened by the outburst. Looking around, she saw Harry and Ron standing in the doorway of her bedroom, looking livid.

"What?" she asked.

"Why didn't you tell us you were released from the hospital this morning?" Harry asked, trying his hardest to keep his voice calm.

"I didn't know that I had to report my every movement to you, Harry Potter." she replied with spice.

"We're supposed to be your best friends! You're supposed to tell us that you're alright. You're not supposed to make us worry about you!" he hollard.

"Some best friends you are! You came to visit me **one** time my whole stay at the Hospital Wing! ONE TIME! And the only reason you came was to see if I was going to the Quidditch match! **Quidditch**! You didn't care that I was in the Infirmary, you only cared about a stupid game that gets hundreds of people hurt every year! A game. A game is more important to you two than I am!" she hollard back.

"That's not true." Ron said. "We care about you more than Quidditch, Hermione. You're our best friend. We'd do anything to make you feel better."

Hermione stayed quiet. She pulled her legs up underneath her chin and sat there. She could feel 2 sets of eyes staring at her, but she ignored it.

"Well, I'm alright. Is that enough for you guys to feel better?" she asked in a small voice.

"What do you mean, 'Is that enough for you guys to feel better?'" Harry asked suspiciously.

"You don't care if I'm alright or not. You only want to make yourselves feel better by not having to worry about me. And that's okay. You only care about yourselves." she said.

Harry stood there, staring at Hermione. He watched her sit there stiff as a rock. He saw her emotionless face, and her broken composure. He was scared to death. He knew she was hiding something, and it scared him that she wasn't telling him. He had silently vowed to himself to find out what she was hiding. Maybe he had lost his best friend.

* * *

**Okay, so that was short. But that's how my chapters always are.**

**l'm sorry for not updating in forever. I suck at updating.**

**So, it's been a year and one day since I started this story.  
It's really sad that I only have 5 chapters, huh?**

**I think I have a plan for this.  
And, haha, it might take another year for the story to be finished.  
But, I'll finish it, promise. **

**Thank you, Thank you, Thank you x781216396758456466 for reviewing.**

**You all are awesome.**

**If you have any suggestions/ideas for the story, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**I love help ;)**

**You can email me, or leave it in a review. Or even IM me (Kandersonx0 -- aim/aol)**

**Thank you guys bunches !**

kristina


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